Millwall: We're not to blame for FA Cup violence

Millwall today defended their ticketing policy for the FA Cup semi-final with Wigan after violence overshadowed the Wembley match.

The decision to allow tickets for Saturday’s game to go on general sale has been widely criticised as investigations into the shocking scenes continue.

The fall-out from the trouble in which 14 people were arrested could see the Football Association change the way major matches at Wembley are policed. There have also been questions over the 5.15pm kick-off time, which was made to suit TV scheduling but increased the number of drunken fans.

Millwall have an average attendance of just under 12,000 this season so the 30,000-plus at Wembley inevitably included those who are not regular supporters. The majority of the club’s allocation was sold to season-ticket holders, who were allowed to purchase two additional tickets, and members, who could buy one extra.

Season-ticket holders and members have their information stored on a database and had their cards scanned when buying tickets. That system helped eliminate the hooligan element associated with Millwall in the 1970s and 1980s but the extra tickets purchased could be passed on to anyone.

Around 25,000 tickets were sold by the club before they went on sale to the general public on April 5 and these were available online and by phone.

Millwall adopted the same procedure for the League One play-off finals at Wembley in 2009 and 2010 and both games passed without incident.

The FA actually praised the club before Saturday’s game for the way they had sold their tickets, with Wigan returning 10,000 of their allocation.

Millwall are willing to review their process of selling tickets but chief executive Andy Ambler does not believe it was part of the problem.

“I don’t think the way we sold tickets is going to be an issue,” he said. “We sell responsibly, we were praised by the FA in the build-up on the way we had sold. This is the third time we had been at Wembley and we have not had a problem before.”

The ugly scenes have also led to questions over the policing and stewarding of the fixture with criticism of the apparent delay in police arriving on the scene as Millwall fans fought among themselves.

The evening kick-off time has also come under scrutiny. The match was shown live on ESPN and the start was agreed upon following consultations with the FA and Metropolitan Police

Twelve Millwall fans were arrested, including six for affray, while two Wigan supporters were arrested. Millwall were today waiting to receive information on the men who were held and the police are working to identify any further offenders.

Millwall have made great strides in cleaning up the club’s reputation in recent years and Ambler insists they will not shy away from confronting the problem.

“We don’t do that,” he said. “We want to move the club in the right direction. This takes us backwards but we are determined to keep going forward. We will not cover anything, we will not hide anything. By doing that, we would like people to realise that the majority are decent football supporters. The minority spoil it and we will try and weed those out.”

Eyewitness reports say the violence began after a child was knocked to the ground by a drunken fan. As well as the fighting, witnessed by millions on TV, one fan stole a policeman’s helmet and children were seen crying.

Injured Millwall defender Paul Robinson, who sat behind the dug-out, told the BBC: “It was distressing to see as I had family and friends very close to that area and a couple were right on the fringes of the trouble that went on, so you’re concerned for their safety. We felt the community and the club had gone a long way to working hard and improving the image and it’s a shame that Saturday really affected that.”

Millwall will issue life bans to any fans involved in the unsavoury scenes that broke out during the 2-0 defeat.

FA general secretary Alex Horne confirmed no sanctions will be taken against Millwall because of the actions of individuals.